Elderly man denies lewd and libidinous charge

AN ELDERLY man has appeared in court charged with touching up two young girls over a five year period.

William Tarrel, 77, pled not guilty to two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards the two underage girls at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

He is accused of touching the private parts of one child over her clothing on two occasions between November 2001 and November 2006.

She was aged between just four and nine years old at the time of the alleged incidents.

Tarrel is also charged with stripping the other girl before touching her private parts and asking her to touch his on various occasions between May 2003 and November 2006.

She was aged between seven and 10 at the time.

The girls cannot be named for legal reasons.

Tarrel’s defence agent, Matthew Auchincloss, told the court that his client had an “horrendous” infection, the treatment for which gave him fits of temporary delusion and asked that the trial be postponed.

Sheriff Derrick MacIntyre agreed and Tarrel will go on trial in December after undergoing medical assessment.